According to Newton's third law, what happens in relation to action forces?

Newton's third law states that for every action force, there is an equal and opposite reaction force. This means that when one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts a force of equal magnitude but in the opposite direction on the first object. This principle is fundamental in understanding interactions between objects in physics.

For example, when a person jumps off a small boat, the action force is the person pushing down and back on the boat, while the reaction force is the boat pushing the person upward and forward. The two forces do not cancel each other out but act on different objects, resulting in the observable motion of both the person and the boat.

This understanding of action and reaction forces is crucial for analyzing motion and predicting how objects will behave when they interact. It underpins many concepts in mechanics and is a key principle used in various real-world applications, from engineering to sports.